Hungarian rights of Maria Turtschaninoff’s YA fantasy trilogy The Red Abbey Chronicles: Maresi, Naondel & Book 3 have been sold to Scolar, the Hungarian publisher of e.g. Laura Lindstedt, Roald Dahl and Erlend Loe. The rights of this Finlandia Junior prize –winning novel are now sold in 17 territories!

”It’s a fantastic story – this series will be THE bestseller among young people in the next years in Hungary.” – Andrea Illés, editor, Scolar, Hungary

Maresi, the first book in the trilogy, was just published in Germany by Heyne and has received enthusiastic feedback from book bloggers:

“I enjoyed immensely reading this great story with strong women, a story which for once does not revolve around extreme violence, but focuses on the characters.” – Anna Salvatore’s Bücherreich

“There’s so much magic in this book – on all imaginable levels.” –Tasmetu.de

Maresi is a tale of friendship and survival, set in the Red Abbey: a refuge for women and girls. When the frightened Jai arrives on the abbey island with a crew of thugs after her, Maresi and her friends have to fight to defend both Jai and their community. Naondeltells the story of the First Sisters, and how they came to flee a harem in the faraway Eastern Lands and eventually establish the Red Abbey. The third book will follow Maresi after she leaves the Red Abbey and sets out to establish a school in the oppressed province of Rovas.

Maria Turtschaninoff is known for crafting lyrical, historically inspired fantasy stories starring strong female protagonists. In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien, she counts Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and C.S. Lewis among her favorite authors. She is a two-time winner of the Society of Swedish Literature Prize, a nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and winner of the 2014 Finlandia Junior Prize. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer.